Tonight, I’ll be attending Midsummer Rock Showcase at TIFF Bell Lightbox. The evening will feature music from the iPhone\iPad indie smash hit game Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, which will be performed live for the first time by the music composer and sound designer Jim Guthrie and his seven piece band. By the way, this is a no-brainer, must-buy app for your iDevice of choice. I promise you will not be disappointed.

In honour of this amazingly rare one-night-only event, here are my Top Three Video Game Soundtracks

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP

Is this a gorgeous game with a beautiful soundtrack? Or is it an amazing album, accompanied by some awesome visuals that just happen to be interactive? Well, it’s hard to tell the difference with this gem of a gaming experience since both elements integrate so wonderfully with each other. Chicken? Egg? Who cares. It’s ALL good. For those who may be interested in the in-depths, there’s a really fantastic interview with the developers here.

ilomilo

I dare you not to smile when you listen to this! The music found in this Xbox Live Arcade game sounds just as cute as it looks and plays. Composer Daniel Olsén orchestrates an army of toy instruments and the results are whimsical and adorable. The tunes here belong on Saturday morning with some cartoons, a big bowl of cereal, and lots of sunshine beaming through the windows. There are some great developer notes over at Southend Interactive’s blog if you fancy reading up on the details. You may even find some free downloads.

Machinarium

In this point-and-click adventure game, composer Tomas Dvorak’s songs are deep, dark, and ambient, but effective, perhaps more so in their minimalism. The gameplay here is slow and thoughtful and the soundtrack compliments that pace. Upon listening, you get the sense that you are embarking on a long and arduous journey with many obstacles that you will have to be patient with to overcome. This quest is as emotional as they get but oh so rewarding too and the music reflects it all. If you feel so inclined, you can check out more words from the man behind the tunes here.

Honourable Mention: Tetsuya Mizuguchi

This is not a game. Rather, Tetsuya Mizuguchi is a man who has been involved with some of the most incredible musical video games ever created. Titles like Space Channel 5, Rez, Lumines, Meteos and Every Extend Extra are among his successes. These games have been described as synaesthetic, merging sound and sight into one gigantic sensory overload. His most recent game, Child of Eden, takes this experience to a whole new level by introducing Kinect compatibility, thus adding physical movement to the mix. I cannot wait to get my hands (literally) on this one!

Agree? Disagree? What are your top three?